Fastening device



Feb 20, 1951 v. F. zAHoDlAKlN 2,542,968

` FASTENING DEVICE Filed Deo. 29, 1945 INVENTOR. Vue-ron F.' ZAHODIAKI N.

ATTORNEKS Patented Feb. 20, 1951 UNITED y STATES PATENT OFFICE FASTENING DEVICE Victor F. Zahodiakin, Short Hills, N. J. Application December 29, '41945, `Serial No. 638,303

(Cl. .Z4- 221) 2 Claims.

, This `invention relates to fastening devices andA is particularly directed to a type of fastening device employing a stud and socket wherein the stud rotates for co-action with the socket and wherein spring pressure holds the stud and socket in fixed relationship. The present invention is in the nature of an improvement upon the prior patents of the present inventor, Nos 2,258,668, 2,262,418, 2,355,196, and the pending application, Serial Number 585,664, led March 30, 1945, now Patent No. 2,487,916.

In the present invention, the inventor has recognized the necessity for the provision of an accurate type of spring and, further, the necessity for employment of a spring structure which will be accurate in use and will hold up under excessive pressure. Further, he has recognized the fact that there should be some provision for lateral vadjustment to overcome difficulties in.

aligning the stud and socket as they are secured together. y

As stated in the co-pending application of Victor F. Zahodiakin, Serial No. 638,304, led December 29, 1945, entitled Improvements in Spring Devicesf up to the present time it has been impossible to construct a commercial coil spring so that its solid height, that is, its height when fully compressed, will be within the limits of -one-thousandths of an inch. Further, the commercial coil springs now manufactured do not hold up well enough for certain uses since excessive pressures on them will cause their shape to change. As they are compressed, their outside diameters will vary and this will cause diiliculty in the operation of the device in which they are incorporated, thereby destroying the efliciency of the device.

It has, therefore, been an object of the present inventor to provide an improved fastening device which incorporates inexpensive and accurate spring devices which can be manufactured through simple and well-known manufacturing methods, particularly by stamping. In other words, it is the purpose of this inventor to provide a spring device of general utility/"in which the elements are stamped and are assembled and related in such fashion as to result in a constant solid heighth Within the limits of one-thousandths of an inch, and further, a compressible device which will not become deformed under excessive pressure.

The spring elements used in this invention, when fully pressed together, become a solid structure and deformation cannot occur Within the elastic limits of the material. Therefore, the accuracy of thedevice is only limited by the normalv stress limits of the material used in the discs or plates making up the assembly.

It has been a further object to provide means for guiding and4 retaining a socket element with respect to the spring structure and for apn propriately housing or containing the spring ele- 5 ments.

mis-alignment at the time A stillfurther object has been the provisionI of animproved mounting for the spring unit so that it may shift laterally if there is any axial of insertion of the stud] "f in the socket. That is to say, the parts will line"- up for an eilicient fastening operation as insertion takes place and the spring structure is com; pressed. 1

Other objects and certain advantages of the` yinvention will be more fully apparent from a'A description of the drawings, in which: l Figure 1 is a sectional view taken diarnetricallyy through the device. I

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a sectional View taken on line 3-3,- Figure 1.` Figure 4 is a side view of the structure illustratv ingthe slots in the housing which guide the cam.,

d and locking plate. i

Figure 5 is a plan view of one of .the fiat inten-`Y mediate discs. v Figure 6 is a plan view of one of the conical.v discs of the spring structure. I

In the embodimentof the invention illustrated., in the drawings, the plates to be secured together.. are indicated at I0 and II. Throughout thedee.v scription, these plates will be referred to as upper plate I0 and lower plate I I with the remainder of.' the parts so related. n.

The housing structure for` the Lspring isgenr.,

` erally indicated at I2 and includes .a cylindrical side wall I3, an inwardly extended upper flange, III and an outwardly extended baseange I5.` The base ange I5 has a bottom plate I6 secured,l

thereto against its undersideby means of rivets.

I'I. The central portion o f the bottom plate is L. pressed upwardly so as tont within the circular, contour of the housing. i

The housing structure I2 rests upon the upper plate I 0 about a bore I8 in the plate and is main- .,4

.ilange I5 ofthe housing.. .The retainer member;

I9 includes an opening 22 clearing the housing. i, and the rivets I1 whereby the vhousingstructure may slide laterally on the plate I5) inthe event that the stud and socket structure is not aligned.

Within the housingga plurality of sets of conical discs 23 is provided. Each of these discs includes.. outwardly or radially projected prongs 24. Thel diameter of these discs, when relaxed, is less than the inside diameter of the housing so that when the plates are compressed the prongs will not bind in the housing. The elements of each set of discs are oppositely related, that is to say..A the prongs project toward each other. Between these adjacent discs, at washers or plates 25y At the lower end of the structure a lowermost discs 23 is provided which has its prongs extending downwardly and contacting the bottoni plate I6. At the upper end of the assembly and on top of the upper flat disc 25, a cam and locking plate 25 is mounted. This cam and locking plate includes radial extensions 21 which traverse ver tical slots formed inthe diametrically opposite portions of the side wall of the cylindrical nicho ber I2. Thus, the plate may move axially in the housing but cannot rotate. All of the` conical discs and the bottom plateninclude central axially aligned openings 29. Y vl The locking stud 3o -is mounted for rotation/ 15 in the lower plate Il. It includes a conical head 3l having a flat underside disposed iiush with the underside of the plate l I. Y This conical head fits in a conicaldep'ression 32 of the plate 1|. The shank of Vthe stud passes through an opening 33 in the plate., The enlarged portion 34 ,of the stud, adjacent the bottom plate of the housa a locking washer 3B is mounted. This washer is ci greater diameter than the opening 33 and lies just above the margin of the opening thus preventing axial displacement of the stud llrorn the plate. Y Y

The upper end ofthe stud `inbo'rpi'lr'at'es a` helical portion S7 'adiacent the cam and locking plate 25. 'This cam and locking plate (Figures 2 and a) includes a diametric slot 38 and a diamet'rc' groove 39 in'its top siirfaceat-,rigiit angles to the e slot.v The circumferential approaches to theV groove are inclined as at 40 whereby the helical portion will snap into position in the groove when rotated 90. When it snaps into position, the spring plates, or conical'discs, are under-,compression and the cam and locking plate and the stud are efficiently iixed against accidental displacerrierit.l The plates in and il arehelfi together under spring pressure and Vthis same spring pressure tends to prevent the aforesaid accidental displacement.

Having described the invention, the follow-A ing claims are made: e e

In a stud and socket device for fastening a pair ofinner and outer superimposed plates together in which the stud is rotatably mounted iiiY the cuter plate and the socket mounted upc-o the inner tace oi the inner plate, said stud having a helical blade portion adapted to engage Vwithin the socket, a socket structure c'oiriprisirig:Y a housing having a cylindrical 'side wall, an outwar'uly extended Ylease flange, an inwardly egtendeo harige at the end of the housing opposite trie base flange, and a base plate secured to the base kiian'ge; saidbase'plate vhaving an open-` l ing therein 'toV accommodate the stud; a cam plate within the housing at the inner eno. thereof f adjacent the inwardly extendedflange;A 'means keying the cam lplate to the housing, said means permitting axial but not rotative movement of the cam plate relative to the housing; a plurality of sets of superimposed 'conical discs stacked within the 'housing between. thebase plate and the cam plate; each ,of said sets inc'lhiiling opposite'ly related discs, with each Yoi saitidiscs including resilient radial prongs; a hat washer disposed between each ofthe sets oi discs' and engaged by the prongs of adjacent discs; said discs and washers congurated centrally to provide an axial opening through the disc 'and washer stack to permit passage oi the Stud therethrough; said cam-plate coniiguratec eerie trally to provide a` diametric slot engageable by the helical blade portion of the stud, whereby the cam plate is drawn inwardly on thestacked sets ci discs'jcompressing them, upon rotation of the stud; and said cam plate congurated to provide a groove engageable by the helical blade portion of vthe stud for locking the stud at a pointlof ro- -tation in which the stacked sets of discs are under compression.

In a stud and socket device for fastening a pair of inner and outer superimposed plates together in which the Stud is rotatably Vmounted in the outer plate and the socket mounted upon the inner face of the inner plate, said inner plate having an opening therein to permit insertion of the stud into the socket, and said stud having a helical blade portion adapted to engage within the socket, a socket structure comprising: a cylindrical housing having an outwardly ex tended base flange, an inwardly extending flange at the end opposite the base flange, and a base plate secured to the base ange; Vsaid base plate having an opening therein to accommodate the stud; a retainer element secured to the inner face of the inner plate and having a circular raised portion overhanging the base flange of the housing, said retainer element having a cen-Y tral opening therein of greater diameter than the cylindrical housing whereby the housing may be shifted laterally on the inner plate in order to align'the housing with the stud; a cam plate within the housing at Vthe inner end thereof ade jacent the inwardly extended flange; means keying the cam plate to the housing, said means permitting axial but not rotative movement of the cam plate relative to the housing; a plurality oi sets of superimposedV conical discs stackedV within the housing between the base plate and 1 the cai'n plate; eachV of Said sets including oppositely related discs with each of said discs -including resilient radial prongs; a :dat washer disposed between each of the sets of discs and engaged by the prongs of adjacent discs; said discs and washers congurated centrally to provide Van axial opening'through the disc yand washer stack to permit passage of the stud therethrough; said camiplate congurated .centrally tofprovide a diametric slot engageable by f the helical blade portion of the stud, whereby the cam plate is drawn inwardly on the stacked sets of discs, compressing them, upon rotation of the stud;` and said cam plate including means engageable by the helical blade portion of the stud for locking the studrat a pointo rotation in which the stacked sets of discs are under compression.

Y VICTOR F. ZAHGDIA'KIN.

REFERENCES crimp The following references are of record in the 

